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Citation Managers

Info on what citation or bibliographic management tools are and how to use them.

Zotero: Adding Sources

Adding Sources

When adding sources, always ensure your Zotero desktop application is open. Otherwise, the program and connector will not be able to recognize the commands. Zotero allows you to add source information and files from the library catalog, using the connectors, via a source's identifier, and via manual entry.

 

Adding from the library catalog

  1. From the item record, click the "Cite" button​

  2. In the dropdown menu, select your preferred citation style​

  3. Click "Export to RIS" to download a file to add to your Zotero Library​

 

Adding using the Zotero connector

  1. Make sure your Zotero application is open or that you are logged into your web account​

  2. From the source webpage, click the Zotero Connector from your browser extension's menu​

  3. Select My Library or a specific folder to add the item and any related files (e.g. PDF) to your accounts​

 

Adding using a source's identifier

  1. In your Zotero library, select the Identifier tool in your Tools ribbon. It looks like a magic wand ​

  2. Then paste in an appropriate identifier and hit enter.​

  1. See the box below for a cheat sheet of eligible Identifier IDs​

  1. Zotero will auto-populate metadata from the source's ID​

  1. Note: it does NOT locate and add files like PDFs, etc.​

 

Adding via manual entry

  1. In your Zotero library, select the New Item tool in your Tools ribbon. It looks like a plus sign​

  2. Select the type of source then enter the information in the metadata form​

  1. Note: Zotero will use this to generate a citation so be sure to check your spelling, sentence case, and punctuation​

  1. A file (e.g. PDF) will need to be added separately, if relevant​

    1. This can be done at any time by dragging a file to the parent file 

About Identifiers

Types of identifiers:

  • ISBN: International Standard Book Number​

    • The unique commercial codes given to books​

    • Usually begin with "978" and can be found on the internal copyright page or next to the cover's barcode​

  • URL: Uniform Resource Locator​

    • Commonly known as the "web address" ​

  • DOI: Digital Object Identifier​

    • Given to journal articles or data sets​

    • Commonly found under header information on a journal article page or at the end of a citation​

  • PMID: PubMed Identifier​

    • Similar to the DOI, this is assigned to articles and data sets by PubMed (an engine maintained by the National Institute of Health)​

  • arXiv​

    • Similar to DOI/PMID, this is assigned to articles by arXiv which is an open-access repository (not a journal!) ​